This invention relates to a dart of the type having a snap-fit, detachable dart shaft and flight assembly.
In the past, darts used in the game of dart-throwing have been made with separable, interconnecting parts. Typically, a dart will comprise a pin or tip, a dart barrel, a dart shaft, and a flight assembly which holds the flights or feathers.
At one end of the dart is the pin or tip. The tip is usually secured to a shaft which, in turn, is secured to the dart barrel; alternatively, the tip may be integrally attached to the dart barrel. The flight assembly is attached to the other end of the dart barrel for balancing the dart and furthering its aerodynamic qualities. The portion of the dart extending from the barrel to the end of the flight assembly may also comprise a separable dart shaft.
Traditionally, the component parts of the dart have been connected together by coactively threaded sections. In particular, the dart barrel typically will have a threaded recess, and the dart shaft for holding the flight assembly or tip will contain a threaded projection which screws into the recess of the dart barrel. The interchangeability of the dart parts allows users to expand on their dart collections and increase their variety of darts without having to buy complete new sets of darts; instead, they can buy the interchangeable dart parts.
However, the act of screwing out one dart part and exchanging it for another can be relatively time-consuming and interfere with the pleasure of the dart-throwing game. For example, users may want to quickly change the flights or flight assemblies used on the darts during the course of a game or in between games. Thus, it is desirable to have dart parts, and particularly dart flight assemblies, that can be easily and quickly snapped together and apart.
Prior art patents show flights that can be detached without the use of threaded sections. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,884, entitled DARTS, issued to Tunnicliffe on Sep. 19, 1978, there is shown a dart flight which slide-fits into slits on the end of the dart shaft. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,705, entitled DART FLIGHTS, issued to Clarke on Nov. 9, 1976, there is shown a flight assembly which is slidably secured to a dart shaft with the use of pins. However, in both those patents, it is the flights themselves that are detachable; the dart shafts to which the flights are attached are screwed into the dart barrel. Additionally, with the inventions shown in these patents, a unique dart shaft designed to accommodate removable flights is required.
Detachable dart shafts, as opposed to dart flights, that can be attached or removed without the use of threaded sections are further shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,004, entitled DART ASSEMBLY, issued to Giegerich on Jun. 28, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,861, entitled DART FLIGHTS, issued to Clarke on Dec. 7, 1976; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,298, entitled DART, issued to Hinchman on Aug. 24, 1976.
More particularly, Giegerich shows a dart assembly that requires the use of a pin to hold the dart flight. The pin is inserted through a hole in both the flight assembly and the dart shaft; prongs extending from the dart shaft are compressed around the pin for insertion into the dart barrel. Since Giegerich requires use of a pin--an additional part--the dart invention of Giegerich is more complicated than the traditional dart. Also, the pin could be dropped, misplaced, or broken, or it could make use of the dart more cumbersome when a user attempts to engage or disengage the parts.
The dart shown in the Clarke '861 patent is more simple as compared with the Giegerich dart. The Clarke dart involves a spigot projecting from the dart barrel and a corresponding socket or recess within the dart shaft holding the flight assembly. The recess has detents for snap-fitting into indentations in the spigot. However, the surface of the spigot of Clarke slides directly over the surface of the recess in the dart barrel; thus, there is little, if any, flexibility in the snap-fit attachment and instead friction could result. Not only would this affect the ease of engaging the parts, but the dart parts and particularly the detents within the socket may become worn as the flight assembly is engaged and disengaged a number of times. The wearing of the detents eventually would adversely affect the integrity of the attachment, resulting in an insecure, wobbly dart, impairing its aerodynamic features.
Lastly, Hinchman shows a dart with detachable parts that disengage on impact such that the flight assembly will fall off the dart when the dart hits the dart board. With the dart of that invention, a user would be required to bend down and pick up the flight assembly from the floor or ground each time a dart is thrown and then re-engage the flight to the dart shaft.
Notably, each of the darts disclosed in the patents discussed above--Giegerich, Clarke, and Hinchman--require the use of specially-designed dart barrels that cannot be used with the traditionally threaded dart. Therefore, with those inventions, users could not expand on their dart collections by buying only dart parts but would be required to purchase a new line of dart barrels.
As the above background reveals, there is a need for a dart having a dart shaft and dart barrel that can be easily and securely snap-fit together which also is simple, involves few parts, and allows for flexibility in the attachment means so friction and wear and tear are minimized. There also is a need for a means of adapting the conventional threaded dart into the snap-fit type so that a user can use snap-fit parts without having to buy complete darts specifically designed for that purpose.